INTERVIEW: Fours

11th September 2017

There aren’t many bands as refreshing these days as Fours. Theirs is a playfulness that never seems forced, yet utterly pointed in a manner that you certainly wouldn’t fuck with. And they’re certainly showing off how multifaceted they are with two very, very different releases in the space of two weeks. We caught up with Edith from the band to discuss the tracks, life in Fours, and much more…

Right, we’re not boring and neither are our questions so first thing, straight up: who or what would Fours get on all-fours for?I’m a bit of a Tom Hardy fan. I had a huge thing for Eminem when I was growing up, but it would be Slim Shady circa ’99 with the yellow hair, you know badass Eminem – not the 40 year old Em. He could be my Superman.

We came a bit late to the party but we’ve been fans since Painful To Watch. Where did that song come from?It’s about my now-boyfriend which is funny because clearly I’m just crying out for his attention in the song (it worked, ladies!). It’s still my favourite song I’ve ever written, I very distinctly remember arguing with him & then storming off and writing the first verse. Then when I played it to the boys they said it was so obviously about him which is where the middle-eight stems from; it’s also a homage to ‘You’re So Vain’ by Carly Simon.

We’ve noticed there’s a very antagonistic, no-fucks given attitude to your sound (and we’re all for it). What are you hoping people take from your music… besides a zero tolerance approach to fuckbois?No fuckbois for starters, yes. In a horrible way I find it much easier to write about a guy being a dick than a guy being a good person. I actually really like men but there’s just more to say. I guess the message would be ‘Fuck him babe, the only reason he’s being horrible is because of his insecurities and he’s so terrified of losing you that he’s trying to make you feel like a shit person so you stay with him, because you are in fact great!’ or something along those lines!

Let’s talk about the two new songs you’ve released in succession. Was the idea to show off your two wildly different sides – tender on Tell Me In The Morning and the raucous rock on Overthink?Yes basically, we were too nervous to release Tell Me In The Morning on its own because it’s such a different vibe. We nearly didn’t release it at all but people seemed to love it at the shows, so I guess we trusted their judgement. Overthink is more playful & also quite scary to release cause no one’s heard it yet. Hopefully they’ll go for it!

In quite a male-dominated industry and genre, do you feel you’ve had to work harder to sell a female-fronted band?Good question, I think it is harder and I hate feeling like that because I didn’t used to, I used to think it gave me an edge. There are three main issues I have: I think as a woman people assume that your voice is going to be fantastic and you basically can’t get away with being average whereas dudes singing in bands get away with it all the time. Also I feel increasingly insecure about my appearance and my thighs, and the rider is always Red Stripe but I like gin and tonic.

And while we’re here: what would you like someone to Tell [You] In The Morning?Hmm… ‘here’s a cup of tea & some cheese on toast, I’m just gonna put on an episode of Its Always Sunny season 6 and spoon you if that’s cool’.

Obviously with four of you, songwriting must be quite interesting. How do you deal with disagreements, and who gets final say?Hah, tricky one. I cave quite a lot, I always say we have two alphas & two passive members, I’m one of the passive ones. Saying that, if I really hate a section of a song a throw a bit of a strop like a 4 year-old, sometimes that works. Jez often gets his way because he’s good at arguing a point, Dan often gets his way because he’s normally right!

What’s the best and worst thing you’ve heard about your music so far?One woman came to our last headline on her own & then bought me a drink after and told me that Painful To Watch had helped her through a really shit time, and she listened to it every single day on the way to work to psych herself up to get through the day. I felt quite emotional hearing that. Worst thing, I mean, I won’t have heard the really awful things, luckily we’re not nearly big enough to get trolls but some say I sound shrill & sound like I’m shouting or sounds like overdone pop music etc. I imagine people have lots to say but would never say it to my face!

You’ve had your music featured on The Only Way Is Essex. Compliment or insult?
I’m gonna go with compliment, but I have to say I’ve never seen it & once the song had played we didn’t watch the rest. I understand why people watch it I just struggle with bad acting. I’m an acting snob, it’s a blessing and a curse.

What are you guys listening to at the moment?
I always feel like the boys should answer this question because they’d give you great up-and-coming musicians. I have really loved the Clean Cut Kids album, but honestly as of this moment I’m listening to Dr Dre’s 2001 & have been for the last 2 weeks. I dig Skott’s new song ‘Mermaid’, that’s a banger.

And finally, the question we ask everyone: favourite Beyonce song?
Hard one, she is the ultimate superstar. I love ‘Upgrade U’ and I’m obsessed with ‘Drunk in Love’. She’s the sexiest woman alive!